Increasingly, producers of consumer product dispensers, such as facial tissue cartons, are interested in alternative shapes besides the typical parallelepiped shapes generally offered. A parallelepiped (rectangular prism) can offer several advantages such as efficient packing of the product, efficient distribution of the product, and efficient board utilization to make the carton. However, consumers have grown accustomed to such shapes and there is little differentiation from one product to another. Graphical treatments can help, but the basic dispenser shapes are still largely the same for all manufacturers.
While well adapted to the storage and dispersal of tissue, such shaped dispensers are typically not sized or shaped for efficient use outside of the home. Alternative shaped dispensers have been proposed, however, they do not satisfy all of the consumer's out of home tissue dispensing needs and often consist of shapes and sizes that significantly increase product distribution costs, which are passed on to customers, making potential alternative dispenser shapes more expensive for retailers and consumers alike and therefore potentially less desirable.
One particular out-of-home location where traditional dispensers are inefficient is the automobile. Traditional dispensers do not fit into convenient locations within the driver's reach, such as map pockets, dash pockets or console compartments. Consequently tissue packages are usually placed on the front or back seat, the floor, the rear window shelf or glove compartments which may be hard to reach. Placement in these locations also means the packages often get stepped on, sat upon or smashed when something is accidentally placed on top of them, often resulting in damage to the dispensing feature of the carton where the opening is torn or bent, thus causing the tissues to tear while dispensing. Another problem is that the packages move around and can't be found. They slide along the seat, the floor, or under the seat. Packages may become located under the driver's feet or near the car foot pedals, which may create a safety hazard. The fact that the facial tissue packages are often not held securely in place and are difficult to find can also be hazardous if the driver becomes distracted in searching for the tissue package and is unable to use both hands for driving.
Therefore, a need exists for dispenser shapes that are significantly differentiated from the typical parallelepiped shape, yet, at the same time, can be readily used out of home and particularly in automobiles. Accordingly, the present invention provides a collapsible carton that overcomes the limitations of prior art tissue containers.